CVE-2026-44855: Arubanetworks ArubaOS Buffer Overflow Flaw

CVE-2026-44855 Overview

CVE-2026-44855 describes stack-based buffer overflow vulnerabilities in several management service components reachable through the command-line interface (CLI) of the Aruba Networks AOS-8 and AOS-10 operating systems. An authenticated attacker holding administrative privileges can send specially crafted requests to the affected services and trigger memory corruption on the underlying operating system. Successful exploitation allows arbitrary code execution with elevated privileges on the device. The flaw is classified under CWE-121: Stack-based Buffer Overflow and affects both arubaos and Aruba sd-wan products. Hewlett Packard Enterprise has published advisory hpesbnw05048en_us covering the issue.

Critical Impact

Authenticated administrative attackers can corrupt stack memory in AOS-8 and AOS-10 CLI management services to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges on the underlying operating system, expanding their reach beyond the management plane.

Affected Products

• Aruba Networks ArubaOS (AOS-8 operating system)
• Aruba Networks ArubaOS (AOS-10 operating system)
• Aruba Networks SD-WAN

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-05-12 - CVE-2026-44855 published to the National Vulnerability Database
• 2026-05-14 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-44855

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in multiple management service components accessed through the AOS-8 and AOS-10 CLI. These components copy attacker-controlled input into fixed-size stack buffers without enforcing proper bounds, leading to classic stack-based buffer overflow conditions [CWE-121]. When the overflow occurs, an attacker can overwrite adjacent stack data, including saved return addresses and frame pointers, redirecting execution flow to attacker-supplied instructions. Because the affected services run with elevated privileges on the underlying operating system, successful exploitation grants the attacker code execution outside the constrained CLI shell. The issue impacts both the AOS-8 platform commonly deployed on Aruba Mobility Controllers and the AOS-10 platform that underpins newer Aruba and HPE Networking gateways and SD-WAN appliances.

Root Cause

The root cause is unsafe handling of variable-length input inside CLI-invoked management binaries. Length checks are missing or incorrectly applied before data is written to bounded stack buffers. Crafted argument values or request payloads exceed the destination buffer and corrupt the saved execution context on the stack.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires an authenticated session with administrative privileges on the device. The attacker reaches the vulnerable code path by issuing crafted CLI commands or requests to the underlying management services. The attack is network-reachable because the management plane is exposed over administrative interfaces such as SSH and the web management UI. No user interaction is required beyond the attacker's own authenticated session.

Verified proof-of-concept code is not publicly available for CVE-2026-44855. Refer to the HPE Security Advisory for vendor-supplied technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-44855

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected crashes, restarts, or core dumps of AOS-8 or AOS-10 management service processes following CLI activity from administrator accounts.
• CLI command history entries containing unusually long argument strings, binary data, or non-printable characters submitted to management subcommands.
• New or unexpected processes spawned by management daemons running with elevated privileges on the controller or gateway.
• Administrative logins from unusual source addresses, off-hours sessions, or new accounts immediately preceding service instability.

Detection Strategies

• Centralize AOS-8 and AOS-10 syslog and audit logs and alert on repeated CLI errors, segmentation faults, or service restarts tied to a single administrative session.
• Monitor authentication telemetry for anomalous administrator logins, including geographic and time-based deviations from baseline.
• Compare running firmware versions across the fleet against the fixed versions listed in the HPE advisory to identify exposed devices.

Monitoring Recommendations

• Stream Aruba device logs into a SIEM or data lake and build correlation rules that link admin login events to subsequent process crashes.
• Track configuration changes and CLI command execution on management plane interfaces, alerting on commands that produce abnormal output lengths or non-zero exit codes.
• Audit administrative account inventories monthly and remove stale or shared credentials that could be used as a prerequisite for this attack.

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-44855

Immediate Actions Required

• Apply the fixed AOS-8 and AOS-10 software versions identified in the HPE Security Advisory as soon as a maintenance window allows.
• Restrict access to the CLI and management interfaces to a dedicated, isolated management network and a minimal set of trusted administrator workstations.
• Rotate administrative credentials and enforce multi-factor authentication for all AOS-8 and AOS-10 administrator accounts.
• Audit and reduce the number of accounts holding administrative privileges on Aruba controllers, gateways, and SD-WAN appliances.

Patch Information

Hewlett Packard Enterprise has published fixed software releases for AOS-8 and AOS-10 in advisory hpesbnw05048en_us. Consult the HPE Security Advisory for the specific patched version numbers that correspond to each supported branch and apply the version that matches the deployed hardware and software train.

Workarounds

• Block management plane access from untrusted networks using control-plane access lists and dedicated management VLANs.
• Disable unused management protocols and limit SSH and HTTPS administrative access to known jump hosts.
• Use role-based access control to grant operators only the minimum CLI command set required for their function, reducing exposure of vulnerable subcommands.

# Example: restrict management access to a trusted subnet on ArubaOS
configure terminal
mgmt-user ssh-pubkey
ip access-list session mgmt-allow
  user host 10.10.0.0 255.255.0.0 svc-ssh permit
  user any any deny
!
interface mgmt
  ip access-group mgmt-allow in
end
write memory